What's Going On In Buffalo? It's Pretty Simple!

Buffalo Bills: Bills Bulldoze the Colts

Rex’s boys came ready to play. Photo from barstoolsports.com

What a game! The Bills dominated the Colts, building a 24-0 lead midway through the third quarter. Despite the Colts eventually getting two touchdowns late in the game, the Bills went on to win convincingly 27-14. Tyrod Taylor continues to play smart and consistent football. The defense was very good despite being without three starters: Dareus, McKelvin, and Graham who they lost on the first play of the game. The Rex Ryan era couldn’t have begun any better than beating a team thought by many to be a top Super Bowl contender. So how did the Bills do it?

Karlos Williams broke the game open for the Bills. Photo from proplayersinsiders.com

The first quarter looked a little rocky for the Bills on both fronts. You could tell the main offensive starters were rusty as most didn’t play a snap in the preseason. Watkins was held without a catch, McCoy had difficulties finding holes, and the offensive line looked confused at times against a subpar Colts defense. Woods and Clay had quiet games, but each had big catches to move the chains on critical drives. McCoy seem to stumble a lot as he recovers from a hamstring injury. He had a nice touchdown run called back on a holding penalty and had some nice screens out of the backfield. Once the offensive line and McCoy get on the same page, watch out NFL! Karlos Williams showed exactly why the Bills thought it was best to part ways with our beloved Fred Jackson; Williams is a beast! He broke a nice 26-yard touchdown run and had several other nice runs. He ended up with six carries for 55 yards and a touchdown. Williams’ running style fits this offense, so don’t be surprised to see him getting the ball more if McCoy continues to struggle. Williams averaged almost eight yards per carry Sunday, which will be sure to raise some eyebrows.

The defense also had its share of problems in the first quarter as the Colts moved the ball early but, fortunately for Buffalo, often killed their drives because of penalties. The second quarter, however, was a different story. The defense turned up the pressure, especially near the end of the second quarter. Even though the Bills only got to Luck twice, he was constantly pressured, which forced bad throws and two interceptions. The Defense held Luck to under 250 yards passing, most of whichcame in the 4th quarter. They also held the Colts to just 64 yards on the ground. The Bills DBs had a great game, and Ronald Darby played lights out the first half before calling it a day due to cramping. The rookie expected to be targeted all day and was able to rise to the challenge. After an up and down preseason, Darby looks like a great pick by the Bills and should challenge McKelvin very soon for the #2 corner spot. The Bills showed just how much depth they have in the secondary as Corey Graham was injured on the very first play of the game. Bacarri Rambo came in to replace him and played very well. Mario Butler had to play in place of Darby in the second half and also played well. If this defense can play consistently like they did in the second quarter, as the year progresses, we could very well be watching a record setting defense in the making.

Do I dare say it? After 17 years, it seems like the Bills have finally found a franchise QB. Tyrod Taylor

played a great game. Even though he only threw for 195 yards, he didn’t turn the ball over on a wet day and made good decisions when plays broke down. “T-Mobile” added 41 yards on the ground as well and had a nice 31-yard run where he seemed to just be jogging but blowing by people. He made several great throws. His best throw was the 51-yard touchdown to Percy Harvin. Taylor threw the ball about 56 yards in the air to where only Harvin could make a play on it as he laid out for the catch right at the goal line. He had another nice third down pass to Woods who was tightly covered near the sidelines. There were even a few plays he made that could have been disastrous had he not acted quickly. One was a deflected ball that was about to be intercepted but Taylor batted the ball away from the defender. The other was a fumbled snap that he was able to secure and gain two yards instead of a five to seven-yard loss. Every pass Taylor threw was on target, and he only had to complete 15 of 19 to lead the Bills to victory. The Bills gained almost 150 yards on the ground as they knocked off an important AFC opponent and instantly moved their name up the board of contenders. The only downside to Sunday was that every team in the AFC east is 1-0 after week 1.

Next week the Bills face the hated New England Patriots. Rex Ryan has been able to beat the Patriots in the past with much less talent, so Sunday should be a great game. We all know the accusations of how the Patriots cheat, but the Bills should have the advantage of having a coaching staff that New England has never had to face before. It could provide the Bills an advantage if the Patriots do indeed have all kinds of footage and signals recorded. Brady’s offensive line will consist of three rookies if they can’t get their starters back in time. The Bills get Marcel Dareus back with a freshly inked, record contract. He should be well rested and looking to prove the money he received was well deserved. As long as the Bills can control their TEs, they should easily roll to 2-0.

Harvin grabs the Bills first passing touchdown of the season. Generated by IJG JPEG Library

So, Bills fans, what do you think? How are you feeling after watching our Bills lay waste to the Colts and Andrew Luck? As always, leave us a comment here and follow us on Facebook and Twitter @wgoinbuffalo. You can always find me @Jasonsins. Is it week 2 already? #Cantwait !